The present invention relates to a label peeler, and more particularlY to a device for peeling off a label bonded to a container such, for example, as a bottle that has been recovered for reuse.
Containers such as beer bottles are normally recovered for reuse. Any label bonded to a recovered bottle must be peeled off to allow the bottle to be recycled. It has been customary to peel off such a label by placing a bottle in a holder coupled to a chain, immersing the bottle in a high-temperature alkaline solution for a relatively long period of time (about 20 minutes) to permit the glue to be dissolved into the alkaline solution, thereafter stirring the alkaline solution to peel the label off the side of the bottle, and then applying a jet of water from a jet nozzle to clean the outer surface of the bottle.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 55-27695 discloses a device for peeling off a label by ejecting water under high pressure. In the disclosed device, a bottle is rotatably supported, and water is ejected under high pressure from a jet nozzle toward the bottle to rotate the bottle with the applied water jet. The label is peeled off by the rotation of the bottle and the action of the water jet, withOut being immersed in any solution.
According to the former process employing the alkaline solution for peeling the label, however, the bottle has to be immersed in the alkaline solution for a long period of time for completely dissolving the applied glue into the solution. In Order that the bottle will be immersed in the alkaline solution for a long period of time, the bottle is moved along a vertically tortuous path in a large-size immersion tank. As a result, the bottle cleaning machine including the immersion tank is highly expensive, and the overall bottle cleaning machine needs a large installation area.
Another problem with the former process is that the chain interconnecting a number of holders for holding respective bottles is long and a large amount of energy is consumed to move the bottles. Since the immersion tank is large in size, a large amount of heat is radiated from the immersion tank, and a large amount of heat energy must be applied to make up for the radiated heat. A special discharging unit is required to discharge deposited peeled labels from the immersion tank. Where a fibrous deposit resulting from peeled labels is accumulated in the immersion tank, the tank must be opened periodically, and the deposit must be discharged manually.
The peeling process disclosed in the above publication for peeling off labels only with a water jet does not suffer the drawbacks the former process has. However, labels can be peeled off less reliably, and the glue cannot fully be removed only by the application of the water jet.